Location-based open social networks

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for open social networks configured for a location or place. In an aspect, a map shows up after an app is started at a user device. Local networks are arranged accessible via interactive network icons on the map. Local networks are also arranged accessible to remote users via a map or a website link. In another aspect, user number or post quantity is displayed beside a network icon on a map. In yet another aspect, posts generated by local and remote users are presented in separate windows. Furthermore, social networks are searchable via keywords or category in a map setting.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is entitled to the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/326,839, filed Apr. 25, 2016 and Ser. No. 62/339,927, filed May 22, 2016.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not applicable

BACKGROUND

Field Of Invention

This invention relates to social network, and more specifically, to open social networks based upon location.

Description of Prior Art

A social networking system provides an online service, platform, or website that implements social networks, where users may share news, information, ideas, or feelings. A social networking environment is mostly web-based, and it enables users to interact with each other over the Internet, via online posts, instant or short messages, tweets, or emails. As smartphone system supports social networking environment and many users have a smartphone, social networks may be used as a new communication platform for almost all situations.

For instance, communication via social networks may complement face-to-face conversation among unknown users at a location. When a user is at a shopping mall, the user may want to exchange info with someone in there. When a user is at a train station, the user may want to know what happened when a train is delayed. A user may look around and find someone to ask a question. Alternatively, a user may post a question in a social circle designated to the location. For some, the latter may be easier to do, since it rids a user of shyness, awkwardness, and possible embarrassment. For a business, the latter provides another channel to communicate with customers aside from telephone, website, and email.

When a social network is employed as a contacting or communication platform, openness and ease of use become important. But many social networks are exclusive, need to be found, and require registration or even a qualification process for enrollment.

Therefore, there exists a need for social network that is open, easy to find, and easy to access.

The word “post” as verb or “posting” is referred broadly as transmitting information from a user to a server via a communication network to let others in a certain environment, such as a social networking circle, access the transmitted information. The word “post” as noun includes information posted or submitted by a user on the Internet, or user generated content on the Internet or in any network. Posted information or contents may cover a hyperlink or a uniform resource locator (URL), audio, video, an image, a text, a message, an e-mail, news article, blog entry, survey, etc. Posts are preferably hosted on a web site, but may also be hosted locally using local database or a local server system. In discussions below, messages, besides posts, are used sometime. “Message” as noun is considered equivalent to post.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several main objects and advantages of the present invention are:

-   -   a). to provide improved location-based open social networks;     -   b). to provide such social networks which are open to all users;     -   c). to provide such social networks which are easy to find and         easy to access;     -   d). to provide such social networks which match a user's         location records;     -   e). to provide such social networks which show up on an         interactive map for a user to access easily;     -   f). to provide such social networks which display messages from         a given time block;     -   g). to provide such social networks which maintain message         quantity on display below a given limit;     -   h). to provide such social networks which provide separate         presentation windows for local and remote users; and     -   i). to provide such social networks which are searchable via         keywords or category in a map setting.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, methods and systems are proposed for location-based open social networks which are easy to find and easy to access. No registration procedures are needed for network enrolment. In one embodiment, being there enables a user to discover and access location-based networks easily. Meanwhile, all online users have access to location-based networks via an interactive map or a website link. In another embodiment, the user number or post quantity of a network is displayed to help a user select a network. For users who prefer controlled network contents, a limit on message quantity may be arranged, or a time period may be chosen. Users are also able to search for a network on a map directly using keywords or category. In addition, messages from local and remote users are presented in different windows on screen for the convenience of viewing local info.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram describing a user device embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flow diagram showing an embodiment of arranging and accessing a social network in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a graphic diagram showing an embodiment of circle app interface, where social circles appear on map automatically in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are exemplary flow diagrams showing embodiments of arranging and accessing a social network in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flow diagram which illustrates management of social network in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 7 and 8 use an exemplary flow diagram and an exemplary graphic diagram to show embodiments of post management in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 uses graphic diagrams to show network access using an interactive map in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are graphic diagrams which show two embodiments of circle app interface, where certain status of social circle is presented in a map setting in accordance with the present invention.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS 10 Camera 12 Device 14 Processor 16 Computer Readable Medium 18 GPS Sensor 20 NFC Sensor 22 Device 24 Screen 26 Smartphone 28 User Device 30 Screen 32 User Device 34 Screen 36 Device 38 Screen

100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182, 184, and 186 are exemplary steps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following exemplary embodiments are provided for complete disclosure of the present invention and to fully inform the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is not limited to the schematic embodiments disclosed, but can be implemented in various types.

A social networking environment may involve a networking system and multiple user devices. A networking system may contain multiple servers. User devices and network system are connected via communication networks. One or more social networks may be implemented by the networking system in the environment.

The word “server” means a system or systems which may have similar functions and capacities as one or more servers. Main components of a server may include one or more processors, which control and process data and information by executing software, logic, code, or stored executable instructions, or carrying out any other suitable functions. A server and/or processor, as a computing device, may include any hardware, firmware, software, or a combination. In the most compact form, thanks to the advance of microelectronic technologies, a server may be built on a single processor chip.

A networking system may enable and implement various types of social networks serving a great number of users. It may exemplarily be divided into three blocks, represented by server, database, and router and switch. A server may comprise one or more servers processing applications, web applications, images, emails, networking, searching tasks, etc. The database may store data associated with users, networks, servers, and various services. Router and switch may transmit information packets between a user device and a networking system over communication networks and work as a gatekeeper to and from the networks. As social networks may involve a tremendous amount of data, which may be uploaded and aggregated by networking systems continuously, a separate database system may be created. A database system may include a large number of storage devices or modules and specialty servers for data management and maintenance.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative block diagram of one embodiment according to the present invention. A device 12 may represent a user device or a wireless electronic device, including but not limited to mobile phone, smart phone, smart watch, other wearable device, handheld computer, tablet computer, desktop computer, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, and the like. Device 12 may include a processor 14 and computer readable medium 16. Processor 14 may mean one or more processor chips or systems. Medium 16 may include a memory hierarchy built by one or more memory chips or storage modules like RAM, ROM, FLASH, magnetic, optical and/or thermal storage devices. Processor 14 may run programs or sets of executable instructions stored in medium 16 for performing various functions and tasks, e.g., surfing on the Internet, placing phone calls, logging on a website, playing video or music, gaming, electronic payment, social networking, sending and receiving emails, short messages, files, and data, executing other applications, etc. Device 12 may also include input, output, and communication components, which may be individual modules or integrated with processor 14. Communication components may connect the device to a server or another device via a communication network. Usually, Device 12 may have a display (not shown in FIG. 1 for brevity reason) and a graphical user interface (GUI). A display may have liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen (including active matrix OLED (AMOLED) screen), or LED screen. A screen surface may be sensitive to touches, i.e., sensitive to haptic and/or tactile contact with a user, especially in the case of smart phone, tablet computer, smart watch, and certain wearable devices. A touch screen may be used as a convenient tool for a user to enter input and interact with a system. Furthermore, device 12 may also have a voice recognition component for receiving verbal command or audio input from a user. For VR and AR devices and some wearable devices, virtual screen or screen having a very small size may be arranged. While it is inconvenient or impractical to touch such a screen, verbal command and gesture instructions may become useful for users.

A communication network which device 12 may access may cover a range of entities such as the Internet or the World Wide Web, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network, an intranet, wireless, and other types of networks. Device 12 may be connected to a network by various wired, wireless, optical, infrared, ultrasonic or other communication means. Via communication networks, device 12 may communicate with a remote server of a networking system or service center to send and receive data or messages.

Device 12 may include a camera sensor 10. Sensor 10 may be a regular phone camera module used by users to take pictures in daily life. The camera sensor may be arranged to scan quick response (QR) code, one-dimensional barcode, or any other machine-readable code with the help of certain application. QR code or barcode may be printed out and displayed for public use easily.

Device 12 may include a global positioning system (GPS) 18. Sensor 18 may enable a device to get its own location info. Besides GPS, device location may also be obtained using wireless triangulation methods, or other suitable technology, which may be prepared by a service provider or on-site service facility. Usually for indoor or some urban environment, positioning methods other than GPS are used, since GPS requires a clear view of the sky or clear line of sight for four GPS satellites.

Furthermore, device 12 may have near-field communication (NFC) capability enabled by NFC sensor 20. NFC is of short-range wireless communication technology and may be employed to communicate securely between NFC devices. Sensor 20 may also be used to read radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. RFID is also a wireless technology for the purpose of transferring data, such as identification data, passively or actively. A RFID chip or RFID tag may be made very small in size, e.g., smaller or much smaller than one millimeter. It may be manufactured by semiconductor technologies. In application, a RFID tag may be conveniently placed, for instance, on a table or wall for public use.

Inside device 12, output signals of sensors may be transmitted to processor 14, which, employed with certain algorithm, may process the data and act according to predefined programs. For instance, processor 14 may process data from NFC sensor 20, transmit certain messages to a networking system or service center, and then waiting for instructions or new messages from the system or center.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram showing one embodiment of arranging and accessing location-based open social network. Assume that a social network or social networking circle is established for Place A by service center in Step 100. The social circle is open to all users without any need of invitation, recommendation, verification, and registration. A user has several options to access the circle. In Step 102, a user may tap an interactive icon on a map presented on a touch-sensitive screen. The icon may bear name of the circle or the place. Once the icon is tapped, a user enters the circle and a circle interface shows up on the screen in Step 112. A user may also access a social circle via traditional method, i.e., by finding and tapping a link representing the circle in Step 106.

For location-based networks, being there at the place may be utilized to provide ease and convenience for finding and accessing a corresponding social circle. In Step 104, assume a user arrives at Place A, which may be detected by GPS, the triangulation method, or other techniques. The user starts a circle app at a user device. A circle app may mean an application which implements social circle functions, instructs a user device to obtain data, and assists user to find, access and perform tasks in social circles. Next the device sends the user's location data to service center, which in turn gets info of a social circle created for the place. Service center sends circle info to the device and a circle icon appears on a device screen in Step 108. The user sees the circle icon and then taps it in Step 110. Almost instantly, the user enters or accesses the circle in Step 112. After a user opens a circle app at a place, a social circle related to the place may be presented on screen right away. So, a user may just need to recognize a circle icon and tap on it to access the circle. The process to find and access a social circle is straightforward, simple, and easy.

FIG. 3 is a graphic diagram showing the interface of a circle app schematically. Assume that a device 36 has a touch-sensitive screen 38. After a user launches a social networking app, device 36 starts contacting service center and transmits location info. Service center receives the info, retrieves from database circle information related to user location, and then sends it to device 36. Once circle information is obtained, it is presented in the app interface. As in the figure, interactive icons “Fresh Mart Circle”, “Stadium Circle”, and “Union Square Circle”, and user's own location are displayed on a map. The circles may correspond to a store, a stadium, and a public square respectively. Circle icons may be placed at each circle's location on a map. Circle location may be a location or place which is determined when a circle is generated. When an entity has a physical location, the location may be assigned to a circle of the entity and be called the circle's location. For instance, location of Fresh Mart Circle is of the store site and location of Stadium Circle is of the stadium. A user may simply and conveniently tap a circle icon to log in a circle. It is noted that a circle icon on a map may be found and accessed by a user from a remote place. For instance, a user may log on the website of service center, retrieve a map, zoom in to see a place, and then find a target circle icon around the place. Then, the user may tap the icon to enter the circle. In another embodiment, the map mode of interface may be replaced by the textual mode, where a list containing circle icons may be presented. For instance, after a user opens a circle app, circle info may be retrieved from service center and presented by a list of circle icons on screen. Next, a user may choose and tap an icon to enter a circle.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic flow diagram of accessing social network. Assume that a user arrives at a place and launches a circle app in Step 114. Next, user device, service carrier, or on-site facility starts to collect location data in Step 116. Depending on program setting, a user may register a place via various ways, since there are several technologies available for location detection. “Register” as a verb means a user causes submission of location records to service center actively or passively to provide evidence of being present at a place.

In Step 118, a positioning technique such as GPS or the triangulation method is used to get user location automatically and directly. GPS method requires a GPS sensor, such as sensor 18 of FIG. 1, while the triangulation method may be conducted by an on-site facility or a wireless service carrier.

In Step 120, RFID technology is used. A RFID tag may be displayed for public use at a place. If a user device has a NFC sensor, like sensor 20 of FIG. 1, a user may swing the device in front of a RFID tag to read it. A RFID tag may contain location info and link data so that it may assist a user device to log in a social circle directly. Alternatively, a RFID may be designed as a location indicator, that is, the tag only provides location data to a user device. The user device then sends the data to service center to let the center know where a user is.

Step 122 introduces QR code method, which works in a way similar to RFID. The code may contain login instructions for a circle or just info of a location. As a location indicator, RFID tag and QR code may provide precise geographic information. They are especially useful when positioning method is not available, not preferred due to privacy concerns, or not precise enough. But RFID and QR-code methods are not automatic and they require a user to take action, either swiping a device in front of a tag or aiming at and scanning a QR code.

A user's location may also be determined by the user himself or herself via a verbal method as in Step 124. With voice recognition technology, a user may speak to a device the name of a place or a venue. The verbal method is not only useful, but also convenient, as saying a word or a few words is all it takes.

Step 126 employs map method. The method is convenient for on-site users when user location is not precise. For instance, when user location can't be determined accurately enough and there is no RFID tag or QR code printout in sight, a user may open a circle app and select map mode. Next, an interactive map may appear on screen. A user may search the map and find a spot of interest. The user then taps the spot, which may be designed as a confirmation act to specify location of interest.

Once a user's location info is obtained, it is sent to service center in Step 128. The center then decides which social circle should be presented to a user based on location data and predetermined arrangement. It may be designed that a location-based open social circle has a defined geographic coverage or a designated geographic circle area. The shape and range of a designated circle area may be defined by service centre or proposed by an entity which a circle is assigned to. When a circle area is submitted by an entity, service center may evaluate it and approve it with changes or without any change. If a user's location is in a circle's designated area, the circle may be selected and presented to the user. Since social circles' designated areas may overlap, a user may be located at a place claimed by multiple circles. In such a case, multiple circles may be presented to the user for selection.

Alternatively, a designated geographic user area or designated user area may be defined. All social circles whose location is in a designated user area may be considered relevant to a user and may be selected and presented to the user. A designated user area may have any shape and dimension specified by service center or a user. For instance, a designated user area may have a circular shape whose center is of a user's location. The circular area's radius may be defined by service center as a default setting which may be adjusted by a user. Examples of radius value include one mile to ten miles. If the radius is of one mile, social circles whose location is within a one-mile range may be chosen and provided to the user. It is noted that selected social circles may be presented in map or textual mode at a user device. In map mode, a map is displayed which covers a designated user area. The map may have square, rectangular, or another shape. Circles may show up as interactive icons on map. In textual mode, interactive circle icons may form a list or appear on a list.

After obtaining info of social circles, service center sends it to a user device for presentation. In Step 130, a user ponders whether to visit a circle while still at a place close to it. The user makes a decision, and accesses a circle in Step 134. When the user is busy, he or she may access a circle at a later time in Step 132. As circle info is received, it may be recorded at a user device. An interactive “History” button may be configured in circle app interface. Once a user taps “History” button, circles encountered within a defined time period in the past, e.g., three days or a week, may show up on screen. A user may tap one circle to log in.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary flow diagram of accessing a social network from another angle. In order to participate in activities of location-based social networking circles, a user may start by opening an account or subscribing networking service at service center in Step 136. The procedure may be required for users who want to issue post in social networking circles. If a user is not registered, he or she may access contents of a social circle, but may not be allowed to post anything. Thus social circles discussed here are configured open to all users, but only registered users may post messages. A circle app may be downloaded from the website of service center and installed at a user device. During app installation, a user may be asked to submit info such as name, email address, place of residence, and preferred user name. As a result, service center may know a user's identity and other personal info, and thus may be able to help the user log in certain social circles without another round of registration process and without a password. Consequently, a user may carry a user name registered at service center and use it in various participating social circles. The arrangement makes a social circle free of registration and in the meantime, a user doesn't need to create a user name for every circle encountered. When a user doesn't want to use a registered user name in a social circle, the user may choose an option to get a temporary user name assigned for use in that circle.

In Step 138, a user selects options of tracking scheme. As location data is a critical part of the social circle program, a user may decide which detection method would be employed. Location data contains sensitive information, so some users may be concerned about privacy issues. For instance, some may not want service center to know all places he or she has been to. As a result, automatic positioning methods like GPS and the triangulation method may be turned off, while manual operation such as RFID, QR code, verbal, or map scheme may be selected, which means location records are collected and reported only after a user initiates it. In practice, a user may place a user device close to a RFID tag to read it, arrange a phone camera to aim at a QR code to scan it, speak to a user device, or tap a circle icon on a map. Next the user device transmits location info to service center. When the GPS method is selected and a GPS device is turned on, a circle app may acquire location info and send the user's location records to service center automatically, assuming the circle app is started already. Next, service center may analyze the user's location records and obtain info of suitable location-based circle or circles. Circle info may be transferred to the user device subsequently. If triangulation or another positioning technology such as ultrasonic method is selected, the user's location records may be collected and sent to service center automatically from a contracted service, still assuming a circle app is on. When a circle app is off and a user arrives at a place, a user device may not communicate with service center and submit or help submit location records. But a user may authorize service provider or service facility to collect his or her location records and transfer the records to service center. Thus whether a circle app is on or off, places may be registered automatically.

In Step 140, a user selects regions of interest. As a user may pass many places on a routine basis, a lot of social circles may be registered regularly. A user may like some social circles and dislike some other circles. So there is a need to avoid registering certain places and limit the quantity of social circles in daily life. A user may single out some places or regions and stay away from social circles associated with those locations. After a user delists a place to avoid it, corresponding social circles may not appear even the place is registered by the user.

As a user goes out in Step 142, commuting to work or doing things after work, he or she may register places automatically or manually. Assume that a user turns on a circle app and registered a place in Step 144. Then an icon of a social circle shows up in the app interface on a device screen in Step 146. The social circle may represent a network assigned to the place. After a while, if the user goes to another place, the original icon may be replaced automatically by another icon corresponding to another social circle. In Step 148, the user taps an icon of a circle, which prompts the device to send a message to service center. Service center then starts retrieving info of the circle and sends it to the device. In Step 150, response from service center is received and circle info is presented on the device screen. It may be designed that service center selects certain content based upon prearranged conditions and only sends selected posts to a user. For instance, assume a user device is set up to display twenty messages or less on screen at a time. Then service center retrieves and sends the latest twenty or less messages each time. Quantity limit of message may be arranged to make life less complicated. Service center may choose a value as the limit or a user may have options to select a value. With a quantity limit, old messages are deleted automatically when new messages are published. Thus content on device screen may get updated by itself once new messages are received from service center. In Step 152, update of circle content is performed.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic flow diagram of social network formation and administration. Assume service center is in charge of social network creation and management. Service center may get connected to a user device via various communication networks. As a great number of locations may be suitable for setting up social circles, it is up to the center to decide which location or region shall be chosen. Service center may generate many social networks for many locations respectively. For a location, multiple networks may be created to cover different time blocks such as consecutive days. Since an open network discussed here may have unlimited time span, usually only one network is arranged for a location. Thus it may be configured that some selected locations each may be assigned a single social network only. Service center may generate lots of networks matching lots of locations one by one. In Step 154, service center picks a location and announces creation of a social circle associated with the place publically. The location may be a subway station, a shopping mall, a public square, a sports venue, a park, or any other place where a crowd may gather. As discussed, such a social circle is arranged accessible through several methods. Service center monitors presence of registered users at the location and records the user's location info in Step 156.

In Step 158, service center receives request for circle info from an on-site user, which may happen after the user launches a social circle app and looks for available networks. The user's request and location info are passed to service center automatically. Service center performs a search based on info received to get circles at and around the user location. Then in Step 160, the center sends one or more circle names to the user's device, which are presented on a display for the user to review. Next in Step 162, the center receives selection info from the user, who taps a circle icon on screen. Assume that service center has the info that the message quantity has a limit at the user device. In Step 164, service center retrieves the latest messages, for instance, the latest twenty messages if the limit is twenty. The selected circle contents are transmitted to the user device for presentation in Step 166. After a while, new messages are posted in the circle. Service center updates a message list while keeps the message number below the limit in Step 168. Updated messages are sent to the user device. The user device may display a fixed number of messages, while the newest messages replace the oldest ones continuously and automatically.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic flow diagram to illustrate management of social networking circle. As proposed, users may access a location-based social circle conveniently after arriving at and registering a place. Such users may be called “local users”, since they are there locally. In addition, an open circle may also be accessed by users who are not there, whether registered or unregistered. These users may be called “remote users”. A remote user may be close to the place or thousands of miles away from it.

More specifically, it may be defined that a user is considered local for a networking circle if the user is physically located in the circle's range or a designated circle area. On the other hand, when a circle's range covers a user's location, the circle may be called the user's “local networking circle”. A designated circle area may be defined by service center. The area may also be suggested by a user such as a business who requested to set up a circle for business use. Service center may approve a user-requested circle area after evaluation. A designated circle area may have a circular shape centered at a spot with a given radius. The spot may be a business location if it is a business circle. Radius of the area may be of, for instance, a couple of miles or tens of miles. In addition, a designated circle area may have other shapes or irregular shapes depending on actual geographic and demographic features. The shape and dimensions of a designated circle area are editable or adjustable by service center. When a circle represents a business or entity, the business or entity may be allowed to edit or adjust the shape and dimensions of the designated circle area under certain conditions. After a user opens a circle app, service center may get the user's location data and find local networking circles whose range or designated area covers the location.

When a user is located out of a designated circle area, the user may be considered as a remote user to a social circle; and at the same time, the social circle may be considered as a remote circle for the user. After a user opens a circle app at a device, the app interface may be designed to show circle info obtained from service center. Three options may be arranged for presenting social circles. A user may choose one of them after entering “Edit” mode. In the options, circles presented may include local circles only, circles within a designated user area only, or local circles plus remote circles which are relatively close to the user's location in a predefined area. In the second and/or third option, icons of local circles may be arranged to have different color or different appearance from remote circles for easy recognition. In a circle app interface, social circles may be presented by circle icons organized in a list or scattered on a map.

Both local and remote registered users may post messages in a social circle. When a great number of users actively participate in circle activities, a large number of posts may be created. Thus there is a need to separate posts generated by local users and remote users. Location-based circle is related to a place, and thus it is likely that info provided by local users may be more relevant and more appealing. When there are a lot of posts from remote users, further division may be arranged to avoid presenting too many posts in one window at a time. For instance, posts from remote users may be grouped by user's location, such as region or country.

Moreover, it may be designed that all users have default invisible mode. And a user may switch between invisible and visible mode. The word “visible” may mean a user name or temporary user name shows up on a circle page after a user enters a circle so that other users may see it. For instance, if a user accesses a circle with visible mode, his or her user name may be displayed on a list from a circle page which is accessible to all users. After a visible user logs out or leaves circle interface, name of the user is removed. On the contrary, the word “invisible” may mean one person's user name is not publicized in a circle. If a user is invisible in a circle, his or her user name does not appear on a member list when the user is visiting the circle and reading messages posted there. Thus users in a circle are not able to see the user name of an invisible user and not able to know whether an invisible user enters the circle. When a user is visible or invisible in a circle, the user may be considered in visible or invisible mode respectively. The word “mode” means a status or state of a user when the user is in a circle. Location-based social circles proposed here are open to all users. Most users in a circle may not know each other and may not want to know each other for various reasons. Many users who enter a circle may just want to see what other people talk about. Therefore, most users may prefer the invisible mode. But when a user posts a message, the message may show a user name or a temporary name assigned for use in one circle only. A temporary name may be used to protect user privacy when a user doesn't want to expose his or her user name.

For location-based social circles, there are users who had registered a place and may access a circle anytime, but never logged in. These users are omitted here and not discussed. For unregistered users, it may be arranged that they are in the invisible mode all the time.

If a user enters a circle, but doesn't post any contents, the user may be called “watcher”. In a sense, unregistered users are also watchers. When a registered user chooses to be a watcher, the user may like to be in the invisible mode, watching what happens in a circle quietly and stealthily. While watchers don't contribute to posts in a circle, the circle may still benefit from them as watchers enhance the strength of audience. When the audience is strong, a circle may attract more users, since many people have a tendency to see what a crowd pays attention to.

Back to FIG. 7. Assume that service center creates a social circle in Step 170. Next, the center decides whether to allow remote users to issues posts in the circle in Step 172. There might be different arguments about posts generated by remote users. First, the number of remote users may be unlimited, since any user may enter a circle, which may render too many posts for a viewer to handle. Second, remote users are more likely to post irrelevant messages, causing distraction and annoyance. But interaction and info exchange between the local and remote users are important and encouraged in general. Therefore, it's up to service center to make a decision according to each case. If remote users are not allowed to post any, messages are generated by local users only, as in Step 174. If remote users are allowed to post contents, messages issued by local and remote users may be displayed together along a time line. However, when many messages are posted, there is a need to group messages to provide convenience for viewers. In Step 176, two message windows are arranged. All users may view the windows. After a user posts a message in Step 178, service center determines whether the poster is a local user or not in Step 180. If a poster is a remote user, the message is displayed in window B in Step 182, which is a dedicated place for posts from remote users. If a poster is a local user, the user may have two options in Step 184. The user may post it in window B, for interaction with remote users, or post it in window A to keep conversation among local users in Step 186. Window A is arranged for publishing messages from local users only.

FIG. 8 depicts a schematic diagram of social circle interface. A user device 22 has a display screen 24. Screen 24 shows two windows in the social circle interface. A window on the left displays messages from local users and the other on the right presents messages from both local and remote users. For a remote user, the window on the left is viewable only. When messages from remote users reach a limit, they may be divided further by user location. In case posts from remote users are grouped by user location, a user may choose an option to display in the right window messages from domestic remote users at one time, and from international users at another time. It may be designed that a message posted in a circle shows the user name or temporary user name of the poster and the place where the poster is located. If a user doesn't want to expose his or her location, the user may be considered a remote user even when the user has registered a place locally.

FIG. 9 uses graphic diagrams to show accessing a social circle through an interactive map when a user location is only known roughly. Take smartphone as a user device. Assume that a circle app is started at a smartphone 26. In the circle interface, a “Map” button may be configured (not shown in figure for brevity reason). When “Map” button is activated, map mode takes over. A map with interactive icons or objects appears on screen in Step 1. Alternatively, map mode may be arranged for the starting page of the app interface. Since the user location is unclear, a map in large scale may be presented. Next, a user double taps on a screen spot to zoom in as depicted in Step 2. After zooming in, icons of some social circles show up on the map, including Circle 1, Circle 2, and Circle 3 at different places. These icons are interactive. In Step 3, the user selects Circle 2 and taps its icon on screen. Then in Step 4, the interface of Circle 2 appears on the screen of phone 26, which also means entry of the circle. Next, the user may view messages, post messages, or do other things. Thus, it is seen that accessing a social circle is simple, easy, and convenient via a map. No registration. No password. A user just starts a circle app on a site, opens an interactive map, finds a place of interest, and taps on a circle icon to access a circle.

The screen view of map setting in FIG. 9 may be used as a starting page when a user starts a circle app and the user location is not known precisely. With rough data of the user location, obtained from a wireless service provider for instance, an area may be determined approximately. Thus a map may be presented showing an area which a user may be in and may have interest. A user may select a circle on the map right away or do it after zooming in. When the user location is known, a predetermined map area may be specified by service center, the circle app, or the setup. The predetermined area may be of a designated user area which is discussed above or may overlap a designated user area with certain degree. For instance, if a designated user area is circular, a map may show the exact circular area or a square which covers the circular area with close dimensions.

A map area in the starting interface may also be an area which is large enough to include locations of local circles, where the designated circle area of each circle may cover the user's location. Setup of the map area in the starting interface may be edited by a user. For instance, a user may change the shape of the map area from square to rectangular. After a map area is determined, service center may discover all networking circles whose location is in the area and send circle information to the user for presentation. On the user device side, info from service center may be received and then displayed in the interface. For instance, a screen may show circle icons distributed on a map. Circle icons may contain a circle name and/or logo and be located at a place close to the circle location on a map. Characteristic values of a circle may be added to an icon or placed beside it. The characteristic values may include the number of users who are currently logging in a circle and the amount of messages posted within a given time in a circle. Service center may arrange a default setting to show or not to show a characteristic value in a starting interface. Options may be arranged for a user to change the setting. Thus, what may appear on screen when a circle app is launched may be adjusted by a user. Besides the user number and message amount, a special on-screen label may be added to a circle which has the most log-in users or most messages issued within certain time. For instance, a user may select a function such that a circle icon may appear on screen with a label saying “Most Users” or “Most Messages” when a circle app is started or after a search process is conducted. It makes it easy for a user to find out the most active circle.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show functions of social circle using exemplary diagrams. When a user is at a location and wants to enter a circle related to the location, the user may log in the circle easily and conveniently as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. However, for a user staying at home, there may be too many social circles to choose from. It may be hard and frustrating to search for an interesting and dynamic social circle. Therefore, there exists a need for service center to provide tips to help users navigate among a great amount of social networks.

In FIG. 10, a screen 30 of a user device 28 shows a map. The map is interactive since it contains interactive icons or buttons representing links to social circles besides regular map symbols and legends. On a map, an icon of a location-based circle may be configured at or next to the circle's location. So a map may present the geographic distribution of social circles visually. In the figure, “Map of City” shows three social circles exemplarily. The configuration has a title “Post Quantity”. Beside a circle icon, there is a number showing post quantity and a bar whose height reflects the quantity, which is the number of messages posted in a circle during a given period of time. The time period may be determined by service center with a value such as past five to thirty minutes. It is seen that Circles A, B, and C each have 20, 35, and 5 messages generated. As circles with more activities are more attractive, a user may choose Circle A or B to join. The interface may be switched from a circle app interface in textual mode. For instance, after a user taps “Map” button in a circle interface, a map may show up. Center of the map may be of the user's location. The map may be arranged to show one or more social circles which exist in the map area. Each social circle may be represented by an interactive icon. When an icon is tapped or activated, a social circle interface may appear on screen 30, showing contents of a social circle. A map may also contain other interactive icons representing website of a business, an organization, or an event which is associated with a location in a map area. These features are often seen on a typical online map. But since a user may be more interested in social circles, a “Circle Only” button may be arranged on screen. A user may activate “Circle Only” button on a screen to show interactive icons of social circles only, while other interactive icons and buttons may be removed from the screen view. Info received from service center may contain post quantity data to prepare for a user request. When a user wants to compare activities among circles on a map, the user may tap “Post Quantity” button. Then post quantity data is retrieved and quantity bars and numbers may emerge beside circle icons as in the figure. While in map mode, a user may adjust map scale to view a larger or smaller region on screen.

FIG. 11 shows the same city map with the same social circles on a screen 34 of a device 32. Instead of posts issued, number of users in each circle is presented by a label showing the number and a bar reflecting the number. Users counted may include visible members, invisible members, and unregistered users who are accessing a circle. Members mean registered users here and unregistered users are arranged invisible. The height of a bar next to a circle icon reflects total number of users whose device showing a circle interface while the users may do things like reading posts, writing messages, or checking around in the circle. When a circle attracts lots of users, it may be viewed as something interesting may be happening. Thus for some users, it may be worth to take a look. A user may open a circle app, get in map mode, and then tap “User Number” button to have a map showing social circles along with a number and a bar representing each circle's user quantity. A user may search new places by changing map scale or map area, tap an icon of a popular circle which may host a large number of users, and then enter it to find out what is going on.

Sometimes, a user may be interested in a social circle related to a particular event, such as a famous festival, a major sports game, a big ceremony, a traffic incident, a weather phenomenon, breaking news of other kinds, etc. Thus there exists a need to have a search function. A search may be carried out using keywords or category as search query. Keywords may include a name of a place, or a word associated with a topic. If a name of a place or a region is submitted, service center may retrieve social circle at or around the place or in the region only. Search result may be presented in textual or map mode. Textual mode, like the current search result, may feature a list of circles with a brief introduction to each one. In map mode, search results may be shown on a map, such as circle icons scattered in a map area, as each circle is related to a location. When a user changes a search query in map mode, different circles may show up at different locations on a map. So a user may use a search query to find a social circle in a region conveniently. For ease of use, service center may categorize social circles or rename a circle. For instance, when there is no specific topic, a circle may be labeled as casual talk; when a circle is related to a place where a public event is happening or happened within a short period of time and conversation in the circle is about the event, the circle may belong to public event group temporarily; when a circle is related to a place where breaking news is happening, the circle may be renamed breaking news circle, such as being named “Grand Parade Circle” temporarily. Again, both the textual mode and map mode may be available for users. When an event happens at a place and attracts attention around the world, users on the scene may log in a local circle and report what is happening, and users everywhere may find the circle and access it to learn the first-hand information from people in the front. In practice, a “Search” button may be arranged at the circle interface for enabling search mode, buttons “Textual Mode” and “Map Mode” arranged for text and map mode in a search process, an entry window beside “Keyword” icon for entering keywords, and a tab for selecting a circle category. As said in map mode, when a user submits a new query except a location name, a map may remain the same scale, while different social circles may appear at different places each time. Since map scale may be adjusted to display a smaller or larger area, it may be used as another query element in a search process. Similarly, post quantity or user number may be utilized as a query element too. When a search is based on post quantity or user number, circles having top numbers are retrieved and presented. For instance, circles of top three user number may be selected and displayed.

Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope

Thus it can be seen that systems and methods are introduced to provide improved location-based social networks.

The improved method and system have the following features and advantages:

-   -   (1). Location-based social circles are arranged open to all         users;     -   (2). On-site users may access a social circle conveniently via         several methods;     -   (3). Users may find and access a social circle via interactive         map;     -   (4). Messages generated by local and remote users are placed in         separate windows;     -   (5). Post quantity and total number of users of a social circle         are presented as a selection guide;     -   (6). User has options to limit quantity of posts on display, and     -   (7). Social network is searchable on a map through keyword or         category.

Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments. Numerous modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Ramifications:

Social networking circle as discussed in the above works as a platform for two-way communication. For instance, local and remote users may post messages as well as viewing messages. On the other hand, a social circle may be designed as a platform aimed for one-way communication. One-way communication means users may view messages, but aren't allowed to post messages. For instance, a networking circle representing a business like a restaurant may favor one-way feature, when the business wants to post information for customers to view but doesn't have the manpower to handle instant inquiries. No matter one-way or two-way, a social circle may act as a platform of promotion and advertisement for a business. Methods introduced in the above may be used for social circles of both types when the methods are applicable.

A user may search social networks by post quantity or user number, or one of the two factors plus a place or other limitation. For instance, in an on-screen query area, there may be multiple items like “Post Quantity”, “User Number”, “Place”, etc. A user may check a box beside “Post Quantity” or “User Number” to define a search feature, and enter a name in a window area beside “Place” to specify a place. A place may be a location or a region such as a venue, a town, a state, or a country. In text mode, a search result may be a list of social circles which have higher post quantity or larger user numbers than rest of the social circles in a region. A user may also choose the maximum number of circles which may be selected in a search.

In order to do a search in map setting, a user may start from a circle app interface in map mode or switch from textual to map mode by, for instance, tapping a “Map Mode” button on screen. First the user may adjust the map center and scale to include a target area. Then the user may tap “Search” button to open a search window on screen. After a search query is submitted, a search result is shown with circle icons positioned on a map and close to circle places respectively. If the first search result is not satisfactory, another search may be conducted and a new batch of icons at new locations may replace the old ones on a map. When a characteristic option like “Post Quantity” or “User Number” is selected, for instance, by checking a box beside an option label, a number may be attached to each circle icon on a map. Thus in map mode, a search may be conducted within a map area and search results are displayed using icons, numbers, and labels on the map. Therefore searching in map mode has merits of showing not only circle locations, but also circle characteristics.

Additionally, a “Text Mode” button may be prepared for getting to app interface in textual mode from map mode.

A user may speak to a device to enter instructions using voice recognition techniques. For instance, after a user arrives at a place, the user may say “circle app” to a device to launch a circle program. Next a circle interface may show up on screen with one or more icons of social circles presented. The user may take a look at a circle list or circle icons on a map and say a circle name to enter a circle.

As aforementioned, service center may decide whether a social circle should be arranged for a place or location. In real life, service center may not know all needs of users. Thus, users, especially business and organization entities, may request service center to create a location-based social circle. And service center may evaluate it, approve the request, and set up a circle. For instance, a retail store may want to establish a location-based circle of its own. In such a case, the store may provide location data of store to service center. To accommodate user's positioning or registering needs, the store may prepare RFID tag, QR code, and/or other positioning method for users. Aside from business and organization, an individual user may also request to arrange a circle for a place or a group gathering at a place. For social circles originated from request outside of service center, a label such as “Sponsored Circle” and the name of originator may be shown in a circle interface. Display of the label and originator name may be mandatory since such kind of circle may be used for the advantage of certain group or person. Service center may collect fees for creating and maintaining user-initiated circles.

When there are a lot of messages in a social circle, a user may have a hard time to find out whether other users have replied to his or her post or a reply may be removed due to the quantity or time limit. For instance, if a quantity limit or time range is arranged, a reply may be with the deleted posts which are off limit or out of range. Thus, a “Reply” button may be created at the circle interface. When there is a reply, color of the button may change. A user may tap the “Reply” button to access one or more replies from other users regarding a post the user made at an earlier time, and may respond to a reply to continue a conversation.

Because location-based open social circles are accessible to all users, many posts may be generated given a potential huge number of users who may access a circle and write a message. Thus a user may be overwhelmed by lots of messages and the messages may become a burden. Therefore, setting up a presentation limit may help some users. Since most users in a location-based circle don't know each other, some may be interested in activities which are happening and may not want to know much from past conversations. Such users may like a quantity limit for messages presented on a user device. For instance, if the limit is of twenty, a user device may only display twenty messages each time, which are the latest twenty messages and are updated constantly when new messages are issued. For a user with moderate interest in what happened in a circle, a time limit may be used. The time period may be any value. If it is of thirty minutes, a user device may display posts generated in the past thirty minutes without message quantity limitation. A message list may be updated periodically as time goes by. When a user is deeply attached to a circle, the user may choose to save all posts in a circle and have all posts accessible at any time. In practice, a “Setup” button may be configured in the circle interface. The button may lead to a setup window where a user may choose options like “Message Quantity Limit”, “Time Limit”, and “Location Limit”. A user may enter a number for quantity limit or a value for time limit. A time limit may be of half hour, one hour, two hours, or the maximum value allowed. A user may use a location limit to get circles from a certain region only. For instance, some users may be interested in social circles from a certain location only.

In many discussions presented, “tap” as a verb is used as an action to activate an interactive icon or button. It is noted that a tap action may be replaced by other moves, like click or verbal instruction when it is doable.

Lastly, in aforementioned discussions, QR codes may be replaced by other machine readable codes without affecting proposed functionality, such as one-dimensional bar codes, as long as the codes contain info required and are readable by a user device.

Therefore the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus having stored executable instructions, comprising: 1) at least one computing system being operable to implement a social networking system, said social networking system arranged to implement a plurality of social networks; 2) said plurality of social networks each arranged to be associated with a location and accessible without registration requirements; 3) said social networking system arranged to select one or more of said plurality of social networks after receiving info that a given program is in operation and it is determined that the one or more social networks each have a predetermined geographic area which covers a location of a user; and 4) said social networking system arranged to send to said user information about the one or more social networks, wherein said information includes one or more post quantities which correspond to the one or more social networks, each of the one or more post quantities represents a number of posts which are posted in one of the one or more social networks in a given time period.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined geographic area is editable.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said information includes one or more user quantities which correspond to users who access the one or more social networks.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the posts include messages generated by local users and remote users.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including a first search mechanism to receive a search query from said user and conduct a search among said plurality of social networks.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including a second search mechanism to search one of said plurality of social networks in a map area.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said user is configured invisible in one of the one or more social networks.
 8. A computer-implemented method, comprising: 1) administering a plurality of social networks, wherein each of said plurality of social networks is associated with a location and accessible without registration requirements; 2) said plurality of social networks having a plurality of post quantities, wherein each of said plurality of post quantities represents a number of posts which are posted in one of said plurality of social networks in a given time period; 3) obtaining location data of a user when a given program is in operation; 4) selecting one or more of said plurality of social networks, wherein the one or more social networks each have a predetermined geographic area which covers said user's location; and 5) sending to said user information about the one or more networks, wherein said information includes one or more of the post quantities which correspond to the one or more social networks.
 9. The method according to claim 8, further including providing options for editing the predetermined geographic area.
 10. The method according to claim 8 wherein said information includes one or more user quantities which correspond to users who access the one or more social networks.
 11. The method according to claim 8 wherein the posts include messages generated by local users and remote users.
 12. The method according to claim 8, further including receiving a search query from said user and conducting a search among said plurality of social networks.
 13. The method according to claim 8, further including conducting a search in an area on a map.
 14. The method according to claim 8, further including making said user invisible in one of the one or more social networks.
 15. A computer-implemented method, comprising: 1) administering a plurality of social networks, wherein each of said plurality of social networks is accessible without registration requirements; 2) said plurality of social networks having a plurality of post quantities, wherein each of said plurality of post quantities represents a number of posts which are posted in one of said plurality of social networks in a given time period; 3) obtaining location data of a user when a given program is in operation; 4) selecting one or more of said plurality of social networks after determining that the one or more social networks each are associated with a location which matches a predetermined geographic area of said user respectively; and 5) sending to said user information about the one or more social networks, wherein said information includes one or more of the post quantities which correspond to the one or more social networks.
 16. The method according to claim 15, further including providing options for editing the predetermined geographic area.
 17. The method according to claim 15 wherein said information includes one or more user quantities which correspond to users who access the one or more social networks.
 18. The method according to claim 15, further including receiving a search query from said user and conducting a search among said plurality of social networks.
 19. The method according to claim 15 wherein the posts include messages generated by local users and remote users.
 20. The method according to claim 15, further including making said user invisible in one of the one or more social networks. 